A blog to talk about the scientific and emotional aspects of infertility!

Contact me !

If you need to contact me , please write to me to this email ID : manjupadmasekar@yahoo.com. I will be happy to help.

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

My IVF Journey Timeline !

1. IVF ( October 2008)Antagonist protocolAMH-3.5
One month of BCP
Started stimulation on day 2 with 112.5 iu of Gonal F
Increased upto 150 iu until day 12
Before triggering e2 was only at 626
Only 3 eggs retrieved
Only one fertilized (through IVF)
Transfer on day 3- 4 celled embryo ( After transfer 8% crinone once a day, Progynova 4mg/ day and HCG booster dose)Negative pregnancy test

2. IVF- ICSI (December 2008)Antagonist protocol NO BCPMetformin 1500 mg
Started stimulation on day 2 with 175 iu of Gonal F
Continued with same stimulation dosage for 11 days
e2 after 4 days after stimulation 140
e2 after 7 days after stimulation 375
e2 after 10 days after stimulation 1120
9 eggs retrieved
7 mature eggs – 3 eggs used for fertilization by IVF and 4 eggs used for fertilization by ICSI
In IVFed eggs none fertilized.
In ICSIed 2 eggs fertilizedEndometrial lining > 8mm
Both fertilized eggs grade A with 4 cells on day 2
Transferred both on day 2 (After transfer 8% crinone once a day, Progynova 4mg/ day and HCG booster dose)Positive pregnancy test- m/c at 8 weeks- no HB detected. But had scan only on 5w1d and again on 9w1d. On 5w1d scan a sac measuring 6mm with no yolk sac or foetal pole. On 9w1d there is yolk sac and foetal pole but no HB. D&C March.

3. IVF-ICSI (July 2009)Antagonist protocol AMH-4.5
One month of BCP
Metformin 1500mg
Started stimulation on day 2 with 175 iu of Gonal F
First u/s 6 days after stimulation – Only one follicle on right measuring > 24mm ovary and on the left some follicles and two of them are more than 20mm.
Stimulated for 11 days (?)
Only 5 eggs retrieved and only 2 are mature and both fertilzed with ICSI
On day 2 one embryo had 2 cell and the other 6 cell- Both garde C embryos
Transferred on day 2 – Negative pregnancy test (After transfer 8% crinone once a day, Progynova 4mg/ day , no booster HCG)Endometrial lining 12mmNegative pregnancy test.

4. IVF-ICSI (September 2009)Flare protocolNO BCPMetformin 1500 mg
Started with synarel on day 2- twice a day
Then from day 3 Pergoveris ( 150 iu Gonal F+75 iu LH)
After 3 days of stimulation e2 at 101
After 6 of stimulation e2 at 212 ( But still spotted because of synarel ???)
Due to slow growing follicles and slow rising e2 dosage of Gonal F increased to 225iu+75 LH
So after further 3 days of stimulation e2 at 828
Stimulation continued for another 3 days with 300iu of Gonal F + 75 LH
So after 12 days of stimulation at retrieval 8 eggs retrieved
7 mature 7 ICSIed and all 7 fertilized
Transferred 3 embryos with AH and with embryo glue. AH done on day 2.
On day 2 - I had one 2 celled, one 3 celled and one 4 celled embryo.
day 3 transfer- 3 embryos- 1 compacting morula, 2 at 6 celled stage. ( No grade for morula since it is much advanced for day 3 and other 2 embryos grade B)
(After transfer 8% crinone once a day, Progynova 4mg/ day , no booster HCG)Endometrial lining at 10mm. Added Heparin.
Started bleeding after 9dp3dt. Lots of cramping and lower back pain.Pregnancy test negative.

45 comments:

Have you been using progesterone and estradiol supplements following IVF? My clinic has me do this, and I have read some studies which show increased pregnancy rates with progesterone, especially. I have a far knowledge of biology, but endocrinology is definitely not my strong point. Do you know anything more about these post-transfer supplements? Is there something more about them that you know that is stopping you from using them? I find them particularly difficult because it delays the start of menstruating, so you get the negative pregnancy result and then have to wait a few for days later and then finally get your period after stopping the supplements.

Hi, I'm finding comfort in your blog. Where are you in your journey as of 2013? I had 4 IVF failures with my own 42 yr old eggs; two of those were FETs. Of those 4, I had 2 miscarriages at 6 weeks. Then after several false starts with young women donors (one contracted an STD during the cycle, so it had to be cancelled... another didn't produce enough follicles), finally we had our chance using a different younger donor's eggs. This attempt yielded 4 embryos, though some had relatively low cell count at day 3. All of these, fresh and frozen embryos, didn't take (2 attempts). We used yet another young donor and got a beautiful 8-cell embryo. But the preg test was negative, as well. All times, my lining looked fine. I am wondering ,as a scientist, if you have any knowledge of the genes in sperm? My partner is age 55 -- and his sperm has tested within normal ranges for motility and morphology and whatever else is routinely tested for. So given those 2 factors, the RE deems the sperm good. I am starting to wonder, though, could anything be amiss with sperm that is not tested for? (note - clinic will not do PGD on donor embryos, since the numbers are usually low, cost is high, and they won't risk it.)

I started to prepare for FET during Jan 2013, and my endometrial lining failed to reach the proper thickness. And then I had cysts in my ovary - so every attempt for doing a frozen transfer is getting delayed. Hopefully in June I will go in for a FET again, if everything goes well ! Wish me good luck !

There is no good explanation for, why an IVF cycle fails ! Even with donor eggs you need few attempts perhaps to find success. I agree that you have gone through 3 donor egg IVFs without success, and this doesn't mean something is wrong with you or your husband! 60% women find success within 3 IVF cycle and some need more. Might be it is just a matter of luck !

If your husband's sperm is fertilizing the egg then I will not worry about his sperm quality. I am 90% sure that they are OK. There are some tests to test sperm DNA integrity but they are of limited use. Actually, an egg plays a major role in bringing out a successful pregnancy. I will just try again until you find success and with donor eggs your success rate is pretty high even after 3 failed attempts !

Please write to me : manjupadmasekar@yahoo.com. If you have more queries, I will be happy to help you and support you.

I know it is frustrating when you do not know what to fix - try again friend !

Hi Manju,THank you for the encouragement. And, I wish you the best with your next FET. Did you have to have the cysts removed? I also wanted to mention that I read on a fertillity blog about a woman who had failed DE cycle after failed DE cycle. A year or so later, another woman on the blog asked her how her journey was going. She reported she finally had success (twins!) She said she really thought it was the anti-histamine protocol she used. (I will paste it below). I asked my RE and he said tho it is not proven, no harm in my going out to get some Claritin 2 days before next transfer. I'm intrigued (even tho I know science prevails). He said there have not been studies done on this yet. My bf says that's bc the fertility clinics would wind up doing fewer cycles and profiting less, should this protocol be proven. Ha ha ! (Or... hmmm...) Here it is: And best of luck to you again Manju!!

We also used the Antihistamine protocol which was developed by CCRM, an IVF clinic in Colorado. It needs to be prescribed by your RE, but the protocol is starting two days before transfer: 5 mg prednisone twice a day (prescription steroid), 10 mg Claritin once a day, 20 mg Pepcid in morning and at night. It was developed in order to help histamine response in the uterus and for some it's been quite successful.

This ART field is guided by emotions of women who are struggling hard to have a baby, than by sound science; even doctors can't escape the emotional impact of it and hence are forced to tailor new yet unproven therapies. I agree with your RE-unless and until something doesn't harm you or the precious embryos, no harm in trying them, especially if it gives you peace of mind. But the bottomline is, nothing is proven scientifically and hence it is wise not to rise our hopes too high or create a hype about it ! No one knows clearly what happens within our uterus after the embryos are transferred :) Actually, a young couple is deemed infertile if their baby making attempts in bed room do not yield success in 12 months or 12 tries ! After a couple of tries, they will not be wondering about histamines or blood clotting factors ! Since IVF is emotionally, physically and financially taxing, we keep on wondering what can be done to find success soon. I hope you understand my point.

I wish you lots of good luck ! I will be eagerly waiting to hear your success story.

I have heard and most probably it doesn't work, though there are anecdotal stories of women who found success with it in improving their endometrial lining. Try it and I hope it works for you. If it works please do let me know.

Hi Manju , I am on my first Ivf cycle....I had pcod....after long 10 years of my marrige couldnt got pregnant....started my IVF journey few months back ...became victim of overy hyperstmlation during my ER ....so took break nd asked to my doc to freedge my embreyo ......now this month on 24 to 25 my ET was suppose to done.....doctor had put me on PROGYNOVA 2 MG since my period second day ...in my endometroum scaning my line was 8 mm thick ...but last 3..4 days I am having breakthrough bleeding...... I am just shattered ..as i was so excited and waiting for ET but seems I have to postpone this cycle....dont know ....going to meet doc tommorow....why this happen to me...what could be the rason when every thing was fine ...waiting for your response...:((

Thanks for writing to me ! I understand yor frustration. Can I tell you something - your lining grew well with 2mg progynova; and even if I take 20 (2mgs) progynovas, it never grows :) So, please do not get so disheartened. You have several positive points on your side - you can produce lots of eggs; and your lining grows too good.

Why did breakthrough bleeding happened ? Since you have PCOD, might be your body is used to lots of estrogen, and since you took only 2 mg progynova, the amount of estrogen is not enough to sustain the lining. Thankfully, it happened before embryo tarnsfer and not after that. If it happened after ET you would have been broken down even more.

Just because you had breakthrough bleeding, it doesn't mean your lining is gone. Please have another ultrasound to see the thickness of your lining. Consult your doctor and increase your progynova dosage. I sincerely wish you can do FET this cycle.

If the ultrasound shows that the lining is totally shed, when you start preparing for next FET, ask your doctor to start with 1 progynova for 1 day, then 2 progynovas for 4 days, and 3 progynovas until you go for the lining check. I think 3 progynovas (2 mg each) should be enough to prevent any breakthrough bleeding. Please have patience, and do not panic. FET cycle have slightly higher success rate than a fresh IVF and I wish you all success !

Please have realistic expectation about IVF cycle. Always preapre yourself for the failure and no one needs preparation for success. I am not scaring you - I just want you to be emotionally prepared for any outcome.

Lots of good luck Priya ! I know you have waited for long and all will be well !

I read ur IVF journey but did Dr. Manipali's treatment help you? i am looking to go for an IVF so wanted your suggestions. i Have a unexplainable fertility problem and no health concerns. i am 27 yrs and had 2 iui failed so wanted to consider IVF this time.

I have done one IVF and one FET cycle with Dr.Malpani. I am not successful yet. Will do my next FET with him soon. I have problem with getting my uterus lining to proper thickness. The treatment got delayed because of that.

I am perhaps unlucky :) You can't select a doctor by asking whether a patient is successful or not. While I had no success, there are women who get success after taking treatment with him.

If you ask me how good they are, I would say they are very good. Dr. Malpani is not only a good Dr but also a very good human being. They are in the field of IVF for more than 15 years now an hence they are very competent too.

You are very young and I am sure IVF will give you the best chance for conceiving. I sincerely wish you find success soon.

I read some of your posts and am really humbled by your strength and fortitude. I myself have gone through a few IVF cycles and have succeeded, so I want to send you some encouragement. You will get there eventually. I was looking at your timeline. Have you tried testing for auto-immune problems as these can be the culprit behind IVF failure? I've read some of Dr. Malpani's articles but I'm not sure if he subscribes to the immunology theory (it is rather controversial).

I have also read your post about God (although I am an atheist) and found it very thought-provoking. I find your idea very interesting and refreshing. Hmm something to think about.

Ariel, thank you so much ! Success stories like yours gives me lots of strength. I am a biologist, and I too do not believe that auto immune issues could prevent conception. But, thanks a lot for the suggestion !

i too have just come out an un successful FET. prior to this i did hysterscopy and dr inserted endo gel, and said i had asherman sydromethen put me on progynova2mg per day. however i bled when on progy. then he gave some ..acid to stop the bleeding then continued with the protocol, of down regaulating with suprefact 0.1ml 2time a day. then i stopped the progyand was put on some pill( not microgynon) for 5 days , stopped it and period came and resumed progynova twice a day. in the course my lining was very thik already at 13mm before starting progy, nurse said it was due to cyst. got hcg inection to deal with cyst and at transfer on abdominal scan lining was at 9mm tripple. however my fet beta came back negative. i have been using progy and gestone inection. howver i have been blleeding way before the test day, 2 or 3 days before. i though when on progeterone you wouldnot bleed. did fsh today on day 3 and it cam back as 0.841 and other figures next to it are 0.110-198.0miu/ml. what does this mean?

what is ashermans and how does it impact the ivf success? also why do i seem to bleed before the test date? when i mentioned this to my dr, he said not to worry. and does hcg shot dissolve the cyst.

I'm sorry that your FET was not successful. Good Luck for your further attempts !

Asherman's syndrome is a condition where there are scar tissues in the uetrus ( can be the result of previous D&C or infections !) and as a result endometrium fails to grow in these regions. The scar tissue can also lead to adhesions (sticking together of uterine cavity muscles) and hence can cause blocks in your uterine cavity ! BUT, I haven't heard of any gel that can clear scar tissue which is formed due to Asherman's syndrome. The kind of gel you mentioned is normally used during surgery to prevent adhesion (sticking together) between different injured organs during surgery (for example, during abdominal surgery, to prevent closely located organs like intestine, ovary etc from adhering together during the healing process). It prevents the organs from sticking to each other for 7 days and hence prevent them from permanently attaching together ! But it can never do anything to the scar tissues which is already present in the uterus !

How much did you pay for that particular gel therapy ?

When your doctor said you have Asherman's syndrome, did you get a second opinion ? It is very important to consult different doctors and get a second opinion.

You said you had an endometrial lining of 13 mm because of a cyst. Women who suffer with Asherman's syndrome usually have very thin endometrial growth. I do not think you have Asherman's syndrome.

I am not aware of giving hCG injection for cyst, if there is cyst hCG injection can only aggravate it.

You can get bleeding before a pregnancy test. It happens sometimes if the estrogen support is not enough. If the embryo implants then the hormone levels starts to increase which can prevent bleeding. Bleeding early do not have any significance unless you start bleeding within a week of ET

My sincere advice is to find a good doctor. I do not think your doctor is doing a transparent and good job. Do you get to see the photos of your embryos ?

I know this journey is very hard, especially when we are cluless about the irrational treatments we are subjected to ! How old are you ?

Please write to me with more details if you would like to : manjupadmasekar@yahoo.com.

First, congratulations on the heartbeats! You are one step further to your dream! I admire your courage and strength along the journey.

I have a question: I notice you had IVFs only one cycle apart. Is it ok for your body? I had a failed IVF in March and a failed superovulation in June. I found after the IVF and Superovulation, my natural cycle is much longer than before. My normal cycle is 31-34 days. But after IVF, the cycle became 43 days and after Superovulation, today is the 43rd day but I haven't had my period yet. I did a pregnancy test, it was negative. I'm worried about the meds having a huge negative impact on my body. Did you have similar experience?

In the beginning there was lots of ignorance and all I wanted is to get a baby as soon as possible. So did cycles which are closer. I would definitely suggest people to take atleast a 3-6 months break between cycles unless and until they are of very advanced maternal age ( more than 40 years old !).

It is very normal that your cycles become delayed after an IVF cycle. There are too much of hormones (much higher than your natural cycle) and there are chances of getting ovarian cysts too because of ovarian hyperstimulation (nothing dangerous, it will resolve on its own!). So natural monthly cycle might be delayed for sometime. Might be you ovulated late or not at all during this cycle and that is why you haven't got your periods yet. There is no reason to panic. I had many different things happening and my periods were never regular. I used to get cysts more often and yes all are normal for me and I did experience everything :)

The next morning after I wrote you this message, on my CD 44, I did another home pregnancy test. It was a BFP!! I was so over the moon! It is a natural cycle after a devastating failed IVF and Superovulation! During the cycle, I didn't even see a LH surge from my home ovulaiton kit! I was devastated for the past few days since I thought there's no light in the fertility journey.

I did the hcg tests at my clinic. My hcg went from 31 (Jul 31) to 110 (Aug 02) to 313 (Aug 04). I'm going to do another test tomorrow morning.

Since I had an ectopic last September, I may need to do a transvaginal ultrasound early. But I'm afraid the transvaginal U/S might harm the baby. I heard so many stories that people miscarried after the transvaginal U/S. What would you suggest? When did you do your first U/S?

I am so happy to hear about the positive pregnancy test L :) Congratulations ! No, vaginal ultrasound will not cause miscarriage. Since you had an ectopic before, it is wise to have an ultrasound when your hcg crosses 2000. You must be able to see a gestational sac at this point. I had my first ultrasound at 5w3d or so. Good Luck ! All will be well !

I noticed you had 7 frozen embryos with your IVF#6 and you had 5 on day 3 and 2 on day 5. Do you know how did your doctor determine which one to be frozen on day 3 and which one to be frozen on day 5? With my first IVF, I had 5 fertilized, all 5 made to day 5, but only 3 became blastocyst on day 5. So I transfered 2 and froze 1, the other 2 arrested after day 5.

I'm just thinking, if I had frozen the other 2 on day 3, I would have 3 frozen now (1 on day 5 and 2 on day 3), but is it good?

Also I plan to do my second IVF soon. Should I insist FET instead of fresh transfer? It seems some clinics think FET has better chance but some think fresh transfer is better. I'm confused.

All my good embryos are frozen on day 3. Two blastocysts came from the not so good ones on day 3. Since some embryos did not look good on day 3 they wanted to wait and watch those embryos before freezing. Two embryos from those cohort of embryos became blastocyst and were frozen.

Since you get less embryos, if I were you, I would opt for a day 3 transfer. Although, some people disagree with this. Please read : http://myselfishgenes.blogspot.de/2012/12/is-day-5-embryo-transfer-better-than.html inorder to get a better idea. I will be happy to answer if you have any further questions on this.

Thanks Manju! Last time, I was using Gonal F 150 for 9 days, so I'm thinking maybe next time I should increase the dose to get more eggs. I haven't talked to my doctor yet.

So from what the doctor did to your embryos, you actually transferred some not so good blastocysts (at least from day 3's observation) first, then only at your second FET, you transferred the good ones frozen on day 3? Am I right? What is the rationale to do that? I thought people ususally transfer best quality first.

Summer, might be your doctor thinks minimal stimulation of your ovaries will give good quality eggs ! But you can ask him for a higher dosage of meds.

No, the blastocyst I had is of very good quality. A bad looking embryo on day 3 need not have to be necessarily bad on day 5 ! Confusing or ? :) A good looking embryo on day 3 can stop growing on day 5. Our embryo selection technique (morphological grading) is not fool proof. Then you might ask isn't it wise to transfer on day 5 ? That is why you must read the post I suggested earlier.

Hi manju..My first ivf fet failed last year. Now I am undergoing 2nd cycle of ivf. My question is does bcp administration decreases quantity/ quality of eggs ? My RE has put me on bcp for 18 days before stimulation in this cycle. Last cycle only 7 eggs could be retrieved, out of which only 2 embryos resulted. I was on regestrone for 20 days during last ivf. This time I have also taken dhea for 4 months . My amh is 1.18 and I am 29.

BCP will not affect the quality or quantity of eggs. Although it is hypothesized that BCP will suppress ovarian response to gonal f (FSH) there is no proof. I responded pretty good when I took BCP. Can you send me the details of your stimulation regimen ?

7 eggs seem to be a good number but the fertilization rate seems to be very low. Did you ask your doctor about it ? What did they say ? DI'd they do IVF or ICSI on the eggs ?

Although your AMH is low it is not very low. I wish you lots of good luck and hope DHEA helps you.

Yes Gonal F was included in last cycle . For this cycle, my RE has again decided to give Gonal F 300 IU, Menopur 150 IU, along with Growth hormone. For last cycle, they gave Gonal F 225 IU and Menopur 75 IU but not the growth harmone.

For last cycle they did IVF on some eggs while ICSI on others. out of 7, only 3 were mature so i think that could be the reason for low fertilization.Do you think I should ask the doc to change the Gonal F with some other form of FSH, if BCP interferes with it?

May I know from which country you are from ? If I were you I would opt for menogon which the cheapest form of fsh. I do not think growth hormone helps in anyway for your situation. In your first IVF cycle perhaps your follicle growth was not synchronized, that is, different follicles grew at a different rate or they isolated the eggs much quicker. How many days they stimulated your ovaries during your first IVF ? After BCP did you use lupron or did you start gonal f directly ? BCP will nor interfere with anything. Please do not worry about it !

I am an Indian. Can I opt for menogon here?. During last ivf they stimulated for 10 days. No they didnt give lupron . I was administered gonal f directly on 2nd day of menstruation. And I do remember the anesthesiologist and the RE discussing that there were lots of "empty follicles" during retrieval. I have got last three days of BCPs left to be taken before i wait for my periods and then the stimulation will start so i still have some time left. What changes in the protocol would you suggest?

Let me explain what worked for me : I used BCP and when I had last four pills left, I started lupron(I took lupron along with BCP) Then when my periods arrived after stopping BCP ( I continued lupron until periods arrived) , I started menogon. They say overlapping BCP with lupron helps to jump start the follicles simultaneously and hence synchronized growth. I also stopped lupron when I started menogon. This helped me. I don't know the protocol name. But the truth is, it is not clear why our ovaries behave differently each time, during different stimulation. I can't assure you what worked for me will work for you too. Good luck for whatever you decide.

I will talk to my doc regarding this.Anyway thanks a lot manju . Despite your busy schedule you answered so many queries of mine. Your blog is very informative and I am looking forward for many new posts from you.May god bless you.

Hi manju,As I said I will update you more about my cycle, so here r the detailsTotal 9 eggs, 7 mature and 5 fertilizedOne 10 cell, two 8 cells, two 6 cells.They did icsi on all of them.Today I had my 3day transfer. Is being seated for long hours after transfer okay? As I work in an organization and we have to be there for minimum 7 hours.

Thank you so much for the update ! Which protocol did you do, can you let us know ? Do whatever is comfortable for you. Sitting for a long time is absolutely OK. I wish you lots and lots of good luck ! All will be well :)

Dear Manju,Please update your timeline with the latest cycle details so that we can find all information at one place. But, make sure you do it only when you feel like.We certainly won't like to bother you at this stage of pregnancy. Good luck

Wow the timeline just says it all, the ups and downs, the highs and lows, the strengths and weakness above all the happy ending. Anisha is growing into a cute happy bouncy little baby. Your mom and hubby have been a little insensitive about the breastfeeding. Tell them a random woman on the internet is firmly taking your side..lol. Anisha has earned her place in the profile pic photo as well! Don't you think? Manju I wish you the best for Anisha's siblings (when the plan is put through the pipeline). You deserve atleast ten more...haha. Do you think stopping metformin gave you better number and quality of eggs. I know DHEA worked for you. But I have a hunch metformin arrests the number of growing follicles thereby limiting the number of eggs received. I am having a Hycosy soon pretty nervous about that. Well enjoy motherhood and belated Mother's day wishes!!! - MM

Ten more children !!!! Are you cursing me ? :) Anisha's sibling - Rajender is very keen about it. We even had an argument. My stand is Anisha must be atleast 2 years old before we try again. He wants to try in a year. For a mother, how happy motherhood could be it is equally physically and emotionally draining. Only God knows whether we will have a sibling for her ! Other thought is about adopting a boy child. Rajender is open to that as well but have no idea how to execute it by staying here in Germany.

Metformin seriously interferes with ovarian stimulation. Unless you are an extreme case of PCOD I would avoid metformin atleast a month before stimulation. But I would recommend to take it after egg retrieval.

No DHEA didn't help me. During my recent cycle I didn't take DHEA, I had good egg yield.

I guess stopping metformin and starting stimulation with a higher dose of FSH did the magic.

Good luck for your hysteroscopy ! Thanks a lot and lots of good wishes !

Follow by Email

Disclaimer

Please note that I have no medical training or qualifications, and that the contents of this blog are thereof are opinions, not medical advice.

have medical training or qualifications, and that the contents thereof are opinions, not medical advice. - See more at: http://healthbeat.areavoices.com/2010/09/29/the-expert-patient/#sthash.YPxLA3EA.dpuf

have medical training or qualifications, and that the contents thereof are opinions, not medical advice. - See more at: http://healthbeat.areavoices.com/2010/09/29/the-expert-patient/#sthash.YPxLA3EA.dpufPlease note that I have no medical training or qualifications, and that the contents of this blog are thereof are opinions, not medical advice.

Translate

Subscribe To

I thrive on love and affection!

I am a 36 year old Indian woman, happily married for seven years. This blog captures the 7 year infertility journey we went through to have our daughter Anisha. I have to undergo7 IVF/ICSI cycles, three miscarriage (including a still birth where I lost my twins to incompetent cervix) and 3 FETs to have our little miracle in hand. This journey was excruciatingly painful at times yet shaped me in ways happy times wouldn't have. Looking back, I wonder about myself ! I feel proud that I was able to be sane and strong after so many IVFs and heartbreaking miscarriages. Now I am very happy and serene than if I would have had children without any problems ( a bit crazy too ! :) The secret is, infertility is a great teacher. It taught me to be strong, humble, resilient, rational, forgiving, empathizing and hopeful. BTW, I am a scientist by profession. I hold a doctorate degree in Human Biology and I believe my education has helped me to tackle infertility bravely. I would like to share my experience and knowledge which I gained during this happy struggle to meet our offspring with you all. If you could share with me your thoughts and experiences I will be very happy !